AQA GCSE English Language key terms

Three dots (…) that can indicate hesitation, a trailing-off thought or something left unsaid. In an edited quotation, they can indicate omitted material.

A short quotation fitted into the grammar of your own sentence.

Language chosen to encourage a particular emotional response, such as sympathy, anger or hope.

A supported judgement about a text or an interpretation of it, explaining how the writer’s choices influence that judgement.

A fact, observation, example or quotation used to support a claim.

A sentence or utterance expressing strong feeling. An exclamation mark can also give emphasis to a statement or command.

Information stated directly in a text.

An opinion stated directly rather than left for the reader to infer.

A move away from the main narrative time to show an earlier event.

An early detail that hints at a later event or development.

The type of text being written, such as an article, letter or speech, with its associated conventions.

A word that sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning, often with a different spelling, such as ‘their’ and ‘there’.

Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis, not intended to be understood literally.

Language that evokes sensory impressions or creates pictures and associations through comparisons.

A sentence that gives a command or instruction.

Meaning suggested by a text rather than stated directly.

An opinion suggested through language or selected details rather than stated directly.

A group of words containing a subject and a verb that can stand alone as a complete sentence.

A conclusion drawn from textual evidence rather than stated directly. A sound inference can be explained and supported.

A sentence that asks a question.

The placement of contrasting elements close together so that their differences become significant.

Examining how particular language choices create meanings and effects, supported by details from the text.

The connected reasoning that develops and supports a writer’s position throughout a text.

Non-fiction that uses crafted description, narrative or other literary techniques to present real experiences or ideas.

Words carrying strong emotional associations that encourage a particular judgement.

A clause that can stand on its own as a complete sentence. Also called an independent clause.

A description that presents something as something else, transferring qualities between them without using ‘like’ or ‘as’.